Elmer stood in his suit, the award ceremony a low hum around him. Suddenly, a sharp pain seized his head, like a sudden vice. The room spun, faces blurring. He grabbed his temples, trying to fight the chaos.

Nausea hit him hard; his vision tunneled. He needed air. Pushing through the crowd, he stumbled out a door.

The cool night offered no relief. He gasped, legs weak, unresponsive. Something slipped from his grasp, clattering. One desperate step, then his body gave out.

He fell, collapsing onto the cool pavement outside. Darkness, then a blank silence.

Time passed. A faint hum broke through, then a soft sound of surprise. A presence. He felt a gentle warmth.

"Oh! Goodness!" A kind voice cut through the haze. "Sir? Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

He was rolled onto his back. Heavy eyelids fluttered open to a blurry face. He looked at her, his mind struggling. She was close, but no threat. Just... a strange quiet.

A soft, warm hand touched his forehead. It felt oddly soothing.

"You’re very pale. Did you hit your head?"

Elmer stared. His vision cleared, seeing the genuine worry in her eyes. The porch light made her hair shine. The pounding in his head began to recede, as if her presence calmed it. A strange, new warmth spread through his chest. A stillness he'd never felt.

He tried to speak, a dry rasp.

"Lost..." he managed, barely a whisper.

She frowned, worried, reaching for her bag. "Do you have anyone I can call? An emergency contact?" She pulled out a phone. His blank eyes suddenly focused. It was like a switch flipped. He saw her simple kindness, a human connection.

For the first time, he felt something real. A pull.

Slowly, shakily, he reached out. His fingers brushed her wrist. The touch sent a jolt – not pain, but a profound, utterly new feeling. Like discovering a color he’d never known.

"You..." he whispered, his voice weak, but with a new, unsure sound, utterly foreign to him.